For Ben Shelton, tennis is a family affair. He is the son of former professional tennis player and former University of Florida men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton. Shelton’s mother, Lisa Witsken, was also a highly ranked junior tennis player. His uncle, Todd Witsken, played at the professional level, and his sister, Emma, played at the collegiate level at the University of Florida.  

At age 12, Shelton began playing tennis regularly, coached by his father. Shelton peaked at a ranking of No. 3 in the USTA Boys’ 18s division and at No. 306 in the ITF Juniors.  

In June 2020, Shelton committed to play tennis at the University of Florida under his father. During his freshman year, he helped the Gators to win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season title and won the championship-clinching match at the 2021 NCAA Championships, securing Florida’s first-ever national title. In his sophomore season, he won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championships without dropping a set and helped Florida to defend its SEC Title. By the end of the season, Shelton had won the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship and finished the season as the nation’s top-ranked player. He was named SEC Player of the Year and National Player of the Year.   

In 2022, Shelton announced he would forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility to begin his professional career. Shelton made his ATP tour debut at the Atlanta Open as a wildcard, advancing to the second round before falling to John Isner in three sets.  

Shelton received a wildcard to play in the main draw at the US Open in 2022 to make his Grand Slam debut. Despite losing in the first round to Portugal's Nuno Borges, he also recorded the second-fastest serve of the US Open tournament at 139 miles per hour.  

In November of 2022, Shelton won three Challenger titles in three weeks, making him the youngest player in history to accomplish this feat. With these victories, he cracked the Top 100 for the first time. He was also the youngest American in the Top 250 at the time.  

At his Australian Open debut in 2023, Shelton reached the quarterfinal of a major for the first time in his career, despite it only being his second major appearance. He also broke into the ATP Top 50 for the first time, reaching No. 44 following this performance. In the 2023 US Open, he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He bested his own record in this tournament, recording a serve of 149 miles per hour in his fourth-round matchup against Tommy Paul. He also reached the semifinals in mixed doubles alongside fellow boundary-breaker Taylor Townsend. He continued to climb the rankings, reaching No. 19 after this tournament and reaching a then career-high No. 15 (October 23, 2023).  

In 2024, Ben Shelton won his first clay court title, beating countryman Frances Tiafoe at the U.S. National Clay Court Championships. The final match was the first all-African-American men’s singles tennis final in the Open Era. With this victory, he reached a new career-high ranking of No. 14, becoming not only the new top-ranked American male player but also the youngest American No. 1 player since Andy Roddick achieved that distinction in March 2004. Shelton continued to have a strong showing at events in 2024 and saw a career-high ranking of world No. 13 in August.

Shelton began 2025 with his best run at the Australian Open to date, reaching the semifinal round, falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. Shelton reached another career milestone, winning the Canadian Open. This was his third title win overall and first ATP 1000 title. After a meteoric rise, Ben Shelton continues reaching new heights in the sport and excelling at every level.